The Emperor's Fortune
by IshvalanBlood
Summary: A Love story between Kanji and Naoto set sfter Souji leaves town. This is going to be a long one, i plan on covering at least five years of the couple's lives, so follow for the long haul and review and i will try my best to upload frequently. Assumed couples are Souji x Yukiko, and Yosuke x Chie
1. Chapter 1- Days Go By Part 1

The Emperor's Fortune

(Kanji x Naoto based with assumed Souji x Yukiko and Yosuke x Chie REVISION on 1/24/13)

Chapter One: Days Go By Part 1

March 25th 2013

It had been five days since Souji Seta left the quiet town of Inaba; Kanji had spent the last week helping out around his mother's textile shop. "So, sempai is really gone now, eh?" a voice rang deep inside his head, it was Rokuten Maoh, his evolved Persona, "Yeah, 'spose it'll be awhile before we see him again" Kanji rarely talked to his Persona, so he felt weird technically talking to himself.

"B-but Yukiko-Sempai seemed to take it the worst, she was barely holding back tears at the station" His Persona agreed and Kanji got back to cleaning the counters of the Textile Shop, that's when a police officer strolled into the store,

"Greetings, Mrs. Tatsumi, I'm here for pick u-" he stopped dead in his sentence when he saw Kanji behind the counter wearing a black t-shirt behind a white apron, Kanji broke the awkward silence, rubbing the back of his head, "So, uh, you need to pick up something, ma's sick today so I'm watchin the shop" Kanji's "social skills" were nonexistent before he met Souji-Sempai, but he was getting better at dealing with people, the cop looked away, "Never mind, I'll just come back when Mrs. Tatsumi is in, sorry to bother you" he turned to walk away, Kanji knew why,

"Look, man, I can get you order, ya don't have to be scared of me." He held up a receipt and got the cop his order, feeling like he accomplished something that day, he closed up early and retreated to his room. The tall young man checked his cell phone, Mar 25 2013, Kanji sighed heavily, not because of the date, but because of the "0 new messages" that appeared on the top of his cell phone, he put it back in his pocket and removed his shirt to prepare for a shower, "Damn that Naoto."

The Train Station, Souji Seta's Departure

Souji was drifting away from his friends, It had been a long and exciting year for the small town of Inaba, but now it was over. The train was now out of sight, and everyone was left with a depressing cloud over the group, Naoto broke the silence, "W-well I have to get back, Grampa will be upset if I arrive home late again" Kanji happened to be standing behind her,

"Here, uh, I'll walk with ya, my place is on the way, so 's no trouble." Naoto nodded and the two walked down the twilit stairs of the station. Chie got close to Yosuke's ear, "I think Yukiko needs to be alone, come on, the steaks on me tonight!" Yosuke's eyes lit up, "That's a new one, Chie, but I'll take your word for it." Yukiko just sat on a station bench thinking to herself about _his _departure.

Kanji and Naoto were walking through the spring streets of Inaba, Naoto was fine but Kanji hadn't gotten good alone time with her since the ski trip in the winter, he had to think of something to say to her, "S-so, a-any other cases you working on right now?" Crap, his voice stuttered way to much right there, Naoto seemed unmoved, as always, "No, I decided to take a bit of a break after the Midnight Channel incidents, so my schedule will be open for quite some time." Kanji thought about the previous sentence, Naoto has never been one to leave social cues in her words, but even Kanji picked up on that one.

"R-Really, so are you free this week then?" Naoto looked up from underneath her blue hat that had become her signature, "Sure, is there something you would like to discuss?" Naoto seemed serious, Kanji rubbed the back of his head, "Spose it's something like that" he managed to speak without stuttering for once in his damn life. Naoto nodded, "In that case I will text or call this week when I am free, talk to you then, Kanji-kun." Kanji realized that they had reached his home at the Textile Shop, "O-oh this is my stop, see you later" Naoto nodded and tipped her hat, then left down the sidewalk, Kanji ventured into his home.

Back to present 5 days later

Kanji got out of the shower feeling a lot better, "That's just like her though, waiting til the last minute to call me" Kanji sighed as he pulled some sweatpants on, he sat down at his sewing machine to take his mind of Naoto. He was halfway through a blue scarf that a customer had ordered a day ago, he suddenly stopped and scratched his bare chest, "Damn this color, it shows up everywhere" he was referring to the blue hat his pint sized crush always wore,

"I need some fresh air, that's all" Kanji grabbed a shirt and left the Textile shop to hang out around the riverbank, he pulled out his cell and checked the time, 8:47 PM, "Damn it got late, guess I should get home, then" Kanji walked home slowly, checking his phone for any signs of Naoto, when he finally got home, he returned to work on the scarf, just as he started he heard a loud buzz from the counter where he tossed his phone, "Ah, shit" he exclaimed as he fell backwards hitting his head, "Ugh, Dammit" another buzz, Kanji rolled onto his feet and ran to the cell phone, he heard a familiar voice on the other end.

"Kanji-kun? Sorry for not getting back to you in a while, I have been spending a lot of time with grampa while he is still in town" Kanji shook off the hit he took from the floor earlier and responded, "It's cool, so what's up?"

Kanji rubbed his head, "I just wanted you to know I am available tomorrow if you want to get together and discuss what you mentioned on the 20th" Kanji shook his head realizing his opportunity, "Yeah, yeah, just, uh, stop by my place around like 4:00, I'm off by then" Kanji was blushing at the thought of Naoto seeing him at work, he gave thanks that he was currently on the phone, and not face to face. "Ok, that sounds good, see you then, Kanji-kun" Naoto hung up, followed by Kanji, who let out a sigh,

"Alright, I've been getting ready for this day for a while, the day that Naoto sees my hobbies" he put his cell in his pocket, "I won't let you down sempai, I promise" he raised a fist in the air as he ran back upstairs to finish the blue scarf that someone had ordered.


	2. Chapter 2- Days Go By Part 2

Chapter 2: Days go By II

(Update: Sorry for the long wait, Second Semester just started and I was focused on getting set up in my new major. But I have a plan moving forward and I really want to continue this! Please R and R and Enjoy!)

Kanji woke up in a cold sweat, he had another dream about his deceased father, he shivered as he remembered,

"Damn hospitals" He muttered to himself. He got out of bed and throw on a skull t-shirt and put some jeans on, he looked at his watch,

"Oh, crap, 's time to open shop" he ran downstairs while tying an apron and unlocked the door switching the closed sign to open. Kanji had a relatively slow day, mostly the old women who were regulars at the textile shop, for some reason he really loved chatting with the old hags.

Kanji checked his watch, "that late already?" he was shocked how much time had past while he talked with the old women.

Almost 4:00 in the afternoon, Kanji decided it was slow enough to continue work on the special order for a blue scarf, he retired into the back room with his prized sewing machine that his father had left behind for him.

Kanji was really into his work until a familiar voice knocked out his focus,

"Kanji-kun? Are you in?" It was Naoto

Kanji looked at his watch, "Oh, crap, she's already here, alright, you're a man, you can do this, Kanji." He thought to himself to get pumped up.

Kanji emerged from the back room while untying his apron, Naoto gave no reaction.

"H-Hey Naoto, thanks for stopping by" Naoto gave a slight nod, she looked pale to Kanji but he was too nervous to call her on it.

"So, shall we go, there was something you wanted to talk about correct?" Naoto was straight to the point, and her voice was a lot quieter than usual.

"Y-Yeah, but before we go for a walk, I, uh, wanna show you something a made." Holy crap, he really did it, he got it out only stuttering twice.

"And what might that be?" Naoto had an honest confused look on her face.

Kanji silently led Naoto to his back room, Naoto's jaw nearly dropped upon seeing the lines of stuffed animals and racks of clothing.

"Did you make all of these, Kanji-kun" Kanji sensed his opportunity,

"Y-Yeah I did, you're, uh, not gonna make fun of them are you?" he rubbed the back of his head nervously. Naoto raised an eyebrow,

"Why would I do that?" Kanji froze,

"Well, uh, because I'm a guy, who, uh, likes to make cute shit like this." Naoto tipped her hat down,

"Kanji-kun, I actually think you have a rare talent here, anyone who can craft anything in such detail should be praised, not reprimanded." Kanji didn't know what to say,

"Thank you for showing me this Kanji-kun, so, shall we go on our walk, I am curious as to what you want to talk about." Kanji quickly nodded and the two left for the Flood Plains.

Naoto's face looked even paler than it was back in the shop, Kanji decided to break the ice,

"So, uh, I didn't think it was fair that I saw your shadow but you didn't get to see mine." He trailed off wondering if he really wanted to tell her. Naoto reacted slowly, a rare sight for her,

"Huh? Yeah, I mean it's fine if you don't want to tell me about it Kanji-kun." Kanji sensed another chance,

"B-But I want to, you see, my shadow was, well" he trailed off again, Naoto didn't seem to notice, she was just rubbing her head,

"Take your time Kanji-kun, I can't imagine how embarrassing it was, if my shadow was any template." She cringed and kept rubbing her head.

"Well, uh, my shadow was….gay" he finally said it, he felt his cheeks burn red, Naoto seemed unmoved but pried for information on the subject.

"Was there a reason for this?" she grabbed her head after she said it, she started breathing heavier and her vision blurred,

"Uh, uh, the r-reason for it was, uh, y-you. I thought you were a dude back then and I had feelings for you anyway, so it confused me and that's why my shadow ended up like that." He spoke awfully fast through that, he slowly looked at Naoto to find she was not there.

Kanji looked around him to find his pint sized crush, and located her collapsed a few feet behind him, "NAOTO!" he almost screamed, he ran to her and slid down on his knees, propping her up on his lap, "N-N-Noato, are you alright? What happened?" Naoto was about to passed out, but said something beforehand,

"Thank you for telling me all that" she trailed off and closed her eyes,

"NAOTO! NAOTO!" Kanji felt her head, it was on fire. He got her on his back and started running towards the hospital,

"Damn it, stay with me Naoto."

Kanji got her to the hospital and the nurses got Naoto set up in a room,

"Is she gonna be alright, doc?" The doctor nodded,

"I belive so, she collapsed from a combination of sleep deprivation and a high fever, she just needs to rest in the hospital for a few days, you can visit her tomorrow."

Kanji nodded, he walked home with his head down,

"Come on, she'll be fine right, just wait for her to recover. Wait, I got it, I'll make her something for when she wakes up tomorrow, and I'll make it so freakin cute she'll smile."

Kanji ran the rest of the way home and started working on a blue scarf and a matching blue sweater.


	3. Chapter 3- Soul Searching

Chapter 3: Soul Searching

(Ok, this chapter is some Kanji and Naoto in the beginning, however is shifts to Naoto for a brief period so she can accept that she has feelings for Kanji, sorry for any OOC-ness, I am a dude and it's hard for me to write like Naoto, which is why I try to stay from Kanji's perspective. Anyway, thanks for reading and the support, don't forget to Review)

Kanji woke up to a bright sun in his face, It felt good to sleep well past noon on the weekends, unfortunately, Naoto was still hospitalized after collapsing from exhaustion. Kanji looked over the scarf he had made for her and smiled,

"Guess I'll go see if she is up yet." With that he got a jacket and left for the hospital. Naoto was awake but she was very tired, "What happened?" she asked herself, then it all came back, what Kanji had said to her, and the confession, Naoto blushed slightly,

"He, did say he had feelings for me ever since back then, despite my disguise, he saw right through it." As if on cue, Kanji slowly opened the door to Naoto's hospital room, "Uh, Naoto you up yet?" his voice was actually soft for once, Naoto tried to got up but felt weak and fell back on her pillow, Kanji saw this and ran to the side of her bed,

"You don't need to get up, I was just checking up on ya, 's all." He scratched the back of his head, "You scared me back there ya know" Naoto looked confused, "Sorry, I hadn't slept for days" Kanji looked perplexed, "You need your rest, right, I just came by to say hello" Naoto nodded, "I appreciate it, Kanji-kun" Kanji nodded and left the room.

Naoto just lay on her bed not being able to do anything, this gave her plenty of time to think about what Kanji had said,

"He has feelings for me?" she was confused, "I had no idea I caused his shadow to turn out like that. Is it my fault, shouldn't he blame me?" Naoto rubbed her silky hair, "So the fact that he still has feelings for me is illogical. I caused him pain, and I was the least girly person on the face of the earth." She thought about it more, "Souji helped me get the spark I had for problem solving back, but there was still an issue. I was still extremely insecure about being a woman, and having it public knowledge."

The more Naoto thought about it however, the more she warmed up to the idea of giving Kanji a chance, "You know, the more I think on it, he really is kind of like me, He is a man but he has hobbies that aren't commonly considered manly." Naoto decided right then that she would recover fast and see where this led her.

Kanji had a lot on his mind as he set up to fish along the riverbank, "Damn, she looked so fragile laying in that bed" Kanji had hurried out of the hospital room because of this, Naoto was just still, no hat, no bindings, she looked like a girl, and a damn cute girl if you ask Kanji. He placed his bait on the end of the line and tossed it in the water, Kanji had no idea why fishing relaxed him so much, but it did.

A lot of time passed and Kanji failed to catch anything, "Damn, not even a nibble?" He sighed heavily. But packed it in and headed for the textile shop, he stopped when he heard a familiar voice, "Did you have to order the steak though? I'm tight on funds as it is, ya know" It was Yosuke, Kanji wondered who he was talking to but figured it out when he got closer,

"Well maybe if you weren't lazy you'd have more money" It was the voice of Chie for sure. Kanji got closer with the tackle box hung over his shoulder, "Hey Senpais, what are you two doing out here?" Yosuke seemed startled but Chie waved, "Hey, Kanji-kun, how goes it?" Kanji smiled, "It's fine, just finished fishing, couldn't catch shit though" he scratched the back of his head, "So you two going for a walk or something?" he finally asked, Chie turned away, but Yosuke responded, "Uh, well, it's our date night" Yosuke looked down and Chie was still turned away,

"Oh, crap, sorry, forgot you two were a couple, I'll just leave" Yosuke nodded, "Yeah, thanks, but we can hang out tomorrow if you want Kanji" Kanji nodded and speed walked to the shopping district. "That was awkward" Chie said, Yosuke nodded, "It was fine, he seemed like his mind was somewhere else" Chie nodded in agreement, "Hey I kinda got that too." Yosuke laughed to himself, "Three guesses on where his mind is, haha" Chie laughed with him and the two left for the river.

Kanji was outside the shop unlocking the door, "Damn that was bad; I need to pay more attention." He walked into the shop and went straight for the sewing machine, he pulled out a half done sweater, it was navy blue with gold buttons and a turtleneck. Kanji nodded at his progress as he got down working, after about three hours the sweater was ready for fine details, which he would put off until tomorrow.

Back in Naoto's hospital room, she was sitting upright finally, she still felt extremely weak, but she was getting stronger, "I really did a number on myself didn't I" she thought, she took a bite of bread from the tray and thought more of Kanji,

"A very interesting person indeed, One thing is for sure, Kanji-kun never ceases to surprise me. Even when I faced the other me in the TV world, he risked his life and his youth to protect me, I've been wondering since then why he refused to run like the girls did, and I call myself a detective."

She shook her head and bit into the bread again, taking a larger bite. "The only problem being, I have no idea how to tell someone of mutual attraction, however, so additional research will be required." Just after sh thought this her phone buzzed on the side table, it was from the man himself, "Just texting to say good night, I hope you are back on your feet soon!" Naoto smiled a little at the text message, she decided not to respond,

"He really does care about me, doesn't he." With that she fell asleep. Across town, Kanji was still working on the blue scarf, he was making it so it read Naoto's full name on it, he went to bed later, satisfied with his effort on the gifts.

A/N: That's chapter three, I hope you enjoyed it, please Review, I love reading them! Tell me also if you would like to see more of the other characters in upcoming chapters, like Rise, Yosuke and Chie, Teddie, Ext. Thanks and look forward to Chapter Four: Sight to the Blind Part 1 of 4.- IshvalanBlood


	4. Chapter 4- Sight to the Blind

Chapter 4: Sight to the Blind

(Back again! With chapter 4, thank you to everyone who has read and two thank yous to all those who left reviews! So I lied when I said this would be four parts, it's only gonna be one.)

Kanji woke up tired, "Damn, that's what I get for going to bed at three In the morning" he rubbed his head then checked his phone, Naoto didn't respond to his text, but he couldn't care less, he hadn't expected a response. Something else caught his eye, a message from Yosuke, "Hey, Kanji, wanna hang out today? I got stuff that I need to talk about" Kanji typed fast on the keys of his phone, saying he could meet up for lunch at Junes. Kanji arrived first and ordered a soda, Yosuke soon came into view. "Hey, Kanji, how's it going?" Kanji shrugged,

"You invited me, jackass, I wouldn't know" he said, causing Yosuke to laugh, "Right, right, I have a plan that involves the both of us, so listen up" Kanji sighed, "That last plan of yours didn't work out so good, now did it?" Yosuke cringed, "The up close and personal plan would've worked if you weren't their!" Kanji shook his head, Yosuke changed the subject, "Besides, this plan is not like that, this is serious." Kanji noticed the look on Yosuke's face change and so he did the same, "Ok, so what's going on, Senpai?" Yosuke sighed, "Where do I begin? Well, you know that Chie and I have been giving the dating thing a chance, but I think we are in a rut."

Kanji looked confused, "Was it somethin you said?" Yosuke shrugged, "I don't know, it was great for like three straight weeks, but now she is making up excuses for why we can't hang out, maybe I scarred her off." He shrugged again, Kanji had no idea why his Senpai would ever approach him for advice but he tried, "That sucks man, so what's the plan then?" Yosuke's expression changed, "Well, I call it operation double date" he said proudly, Kanji looked confused again, "but Souji-senpai ain't here anymore, so you can't go on one with Yukiko and him" Yosuke grabbed his head, "I wasn't talking about them, idiot" Kanji shot up, "Uh, then who were you going on this double date with?" Yosuke crossed his arms,

"I was thinking you could man up and ask Naoto to go" Kanji stood up pushing his chair down, "W-w-what?!" he was shaking already, "Y-you want me to ask Naoto on a freakin date? Are you insane?" Yosuke was nearly laughing at his friend's reaction. "Well, yeah. Wait a sec, you haven't done it already?" Kanji sat back down, "Done what?" Yosuke shrugged, "Ask her out" he simply said. "Of course not, you know how nervous I get around her!" Yosuke shrugged again, "Kanji, look, just do it, it can be over the phone for all I care, but you are the only one I know that is even close to being in a relationship, so please, man up!" Kanji shook at the last part, "Man up, huh?" Yosuke nodded, "Alright Senpai, you're on, I'll show you I'm a man!" He grabbed his soda and stormed off from the table.

Yosuke took out his cell and gave Chie a call, "Hey Yosuke" she said, "Did it work, is he gonna ask her?" Yosuke smiled, "Yeah he is, all you have to do is challenge his manliness to get him to do anything" Chie laughed through the phone, Yosuke kept talking, "I have to give you credit though, Chie, this plan to get those two on a date is pretty good. I can't believe you came up with lying about our relationship issues" He could tell she was smiling on the other end, "Thanks! Now that you have talked to Kanji-kun, I'll have a talk to Naoto to close the deal, wish me luck!"

Yosuke smiled, she was something else alright, always full of energy, "Yeah, good luck!" with that Chie hung up and Yosuke began his day of work. Over in the hospital, Chie was standing outside the room of her friend, "Alright, don't mess this up girl, Naoto will tear you apart if you screw up" she opened the door and saw Naoto laying on her bed still, "Hey, Naoto, I heard you collapsed" Naoto looked up, feeling a lot better than yesterday, "Oh, senpai, good to see you" she said sitting up on the edge of the bed, Chie sat next to her, "Glad to see you have your strength back, um, can I ask you something, Naoto?" Naoto looked confused but nodded anyway, Chie continued,

"I'll be honest, Yosuke was being an idiot yesterday and I snapped at him and haven/t seen him since" Naoto raised an eyebrow, she had known they were dating but had no idea how to offer advice, Chie continued, "So I got a call from him a few minutes ago, and he said he wanted to go on a double date with me, he said he got Kanji involved, and he may call you later tonight." Naoto's heart beat increased, "Are you saying Kanji-kun is going to ask me out on a…date?" she was more flustered than Chie had ever seen her before, making her more confident in her lie, "Yeah, so if you can do me a solid and accept his offer, that would be great!" Naoto thought for a while before nodding slowly, "Y-yeah, I suppose I'll go, I have some free time this weekend"

Chie smirked at how much the young detective was blushing, "Ok, good luck with the call from Kanji-kun!" call me as soon as he finishes, ok, I want the details." Naoto nodded, "Chie-senpai, thanks for telling me so I could prepare before he calls." Chie smiled and left the room, Naoto laid back down, "Is he really going to call me? To ask me on my first date with anyone?" the more she thought about it, the more nervous she got, "No, I made a promise to Chie, I can't back out of this now" she strengthened her resolve and waited for the call.

Kanji was pacing, he looked at his watch, it was 6:00 PM, "Aw, man, why the hell did I agree to this?" he rubbed the back of his head, "I know, I'll get advice from Souji-senpai, he always helps me" he called up Souji who answered on the second ring, like always, "Hello?" Kanji talked fast, "Senpai! I need advice! I promised Yosuke that I would ask Naoto out and now I'm too nervous to call!" Souji sounded level-headed as always, "Kanji, calm down, have a little confidence in yourself." Kanji collected his thoughts, "I wanted to ask you, how did you start dating Yukiko-senpai?" Souji took a deep breath and readied his story as Kanji listened intently.

A/N: thanks for ready this chapter, I hope you enjoyed it, please Review! Next chapter in called "The Infamous Call", once again I will not do parts 2-4 of sight to the blind, I decided to take the story in a different direction.


	5. Chapter 5- The Infamous Call

Chapter 5: The Infamous Call

(Back once again with more! Alright, this chapter is a little short because I didn't want to get into the double date just yet, but fear not, I will deliver another chapter sometime tomorrow, that's a promise. Anyway please enjoy and remember the Review)

Kanji stood shocked by Souji's response, he replayed what he said back in his mind, "How did I start dating Yukiko? I don't know, one day the moment felt right and I just said I thought of her as more than just a friend, after that she felt the same way so we gave it a try."

Kanji choked out a response, "I-it was just that simple!?" Souji responded confused, "Kanji, you need to stop making feelings so complicated, if you like her, go get her, understand? If she doesn't feel the same way, than no harm done, and you can take solace in the fact that you tried." Kanji always got inspired by Souji's words, "You have a point there senpai, I'll go for it! I'll call you tomorrow with how it went"

Souji said good luck and the phone call ended, Kanji took a deep breath, "Calm down, dammit, you can handle this" with that his phone buzzed with a text message, it was from Yosuke, "I assume you haven't gotten the nerve up yet so here is all you gotta say, Naoto, do you want to go on a double date with me? That's it, now good luck, l8rs." Kanji starred at his phone, "Alright let's do this."

Naoto was sitting on the couch watching TV to get her mind off of the call that was supposed to be coming; she flipped through channel after channel but couldn't focus, "What would he say? How is he going to say it?

Would he even call me tonight?" All these thoughts ran in her mind but it was all shattered when her phone ringer went off, "He actually called?" she spoke out loud, she stumbled over and picked up the phone, "Hello?" she sounded more intimidating then she wanted to.

"H-h-hey, Naoto, it's, uh, Kanji" Naoto sighed in relief, "Ah, Kanji-kun, how can I help you?" Damn, that sound too professional, didn't it "Um, look, feel free to say no, but, I-I wanted to, um, know if you wanted to grab dinner one of these days?" "Holy crap", Kanji thought, "he freakin did it." Naoto froze, she was expecting this thanks to Chie, but Kanji Tatsumi actually asked her on her first date, she spoke with an unusual soft tone,

"Y-Yeah, that would be great, um, what day were you thinking?" Naoto turned a little red, "I stuttered, but I never stutter, what is wrong with me?" she thought. "Oh, shit" Kanji thought, "Damn, I never got a date from Yosuke-senpai" Kanji thought for a little bit, it was Thursday night, "Um, how does S-Saturday sound to you?" Naoto breathed out, "Yeah, sounds good" Kanji started to get irritated at Yosuke,

"That bastard didn't even give me a time or location, Yosuke you prick" he thought, but then he saved himself, "So, y-yeah, I'll text you the location and time tomorrow, so, um, I'll look forward to it, b-bye" He hung up and Naoto did shortly after, she was glad she was getting released tomorrow, she had a lot to prepare before her first date. Naoto would never admit it, but she was getting rather excited for this outing, but then she cringed, "do I have to dress up for this?" she thought, she thought about calling Chie, but decided to hang out with her tomorrow, instead she simply went to bed, smiling slightly at the thought of her very first official date.

Kanji hung up with Naoto and stood still for a few moments, "Holy crap did I really just do that?" He did his signature flex move and smiled big, "I gotta tell Yosuke-senpai!" he dialed the number, Yosuke was on his couch with Chie resting on his lap, "Please, tell me this is good news, Kanji, I'm busy" he checked to make sure Chie was still asleep as he put a hand through her hair, Kanji responded, "Of course, I set up a date with her but your prick ass didn't give me any details, so I just said on Saturday, and I would text her the details later."

Yosuke cringed, he was right, "Ok, calm down, how about at 6:30, and as for the location, how about Aiya, I know both girls love that place." Kanji nodded with agreement, "Sounds good, I'll text her that right away. Oh, and, you wanna get together tomorrow? I need advice for Saturday." Yosuke agreed to hang out with Kanji the next day; he hung up and turned off his phone, and went back to looking at Chie.

Kanji went over to his sewing machine and looked at the almost completed sweater/scarf combo, "Almost done, gotta finish it by Saturday" He cracked his knuckles and got to work, looking forward to his date in two days.

A/N: Once again sorry for the short chapter, next one will be longer, Please Review if you have the chance!


	6. Chapter 6- Better Than Expected

Chapter 6: Better Than Expected

(Ok, so I got a request from a comment to bring back my extremely descriptive writing, ask and you shall receive. Other than that, this is the Date chapter so OOC-ness my happen, don't blame me, I'll try my best to write Naoto like the romance social link in P4, but bear with me.)

Kanji finally woke up Friday around noon, "Oh, crap, how long did I sleep?" he said out loud, he then looked down at his beat up hands, "Oh, that's right, I finally finished the sweater and scarf last night" he yawned loudly and grabbed his phone, he saw a text from Yosuke, "Dude, how long do you sleep? Anyway, if you are awake by one, meet me at Junes" Kanji texted back that he just woke up and would meet him at the secret headquarters at one. Naoto was back home for the first time in a while and went straight up to her room, "Why am I getting so damn nervous about tomorrow night, it's just Kanji-kun, it will be fine, hehehehehe, why am I laughing."

She fell face first onto her bed, then shot up, "I just need a distraction, I should go read some mystery novels, she walked down the hallway and noticed something out of the ordinary, he granpa's study was wide open. Naoto couldn't take the curiosity and went in for a peek. She approached the desk where her granpa always spent time going over cases, for some reason a bead of sweat ran down from her silky hair, "Damn, it's too hot in here, no wonder granpa is always so irritated."

The room itself was creepy, the only light was from a single lamp hanging over the desk, the rest of the room was completely pitch black, and the desk was unusually messy, Naoto shuffled through the files on the desk and stood white as a ghost, "No, this can't possibly be correct" she dropped the file on the cold floor and took a step backwards, "I-I can't believe it, Mitsuo was released from prison?!" Naoto took a deep breath and took a step towards the desk, she leaned down to pick up the case file, "I wonder why granpa didn't mention this" she read the report,

"_According to several sources, the young boy convicted on one count on murder was released on posted bail earlier this week. The bail money was paid off by the boy's father, business tycoon Kubo Tomoya. The citizens of Inaba were concerned when the report broke but Mr. Kubo clearly stated that his son would not bring harm to innocent people ever again." _Naoto sighed, possibly in relief, she didn't know, "I'm sure the first thing on that twisted boy's mind is revenge, good thing his father has him now." She found something she would do that day; she would look up and research this Tomoya Kubo, Mitsuo's father, and gather intel on him for her granpa.

Hours past and Naoto finally discovered something; she was in the large living room of the estate wearing blue sweatpants and a tank top, starring at a computer screen. "So, Tomoya Kubo was nearly arrested five times for assisting gang members with drug pushing, leading me to suspect he has involvement with them." She paused, "Did he release his son to have him run his gang outlets so he wouldn't be traced?" she shook her head and forgot about that explanation, Mitsuo was insane after all.

Kanji finally arrived at Junes and greeted his senpai, "Good to see you finally woke up, Kanji" Kanji noddd lazily, he stayed up way too long last night, "So, Yosuke, I wanted to ask you advice on what to do tomorrow night" Yosuke nodded, "Ok, listen up then. The main thing I discovered with Chie is that you have to be yourself, don't try to act cool, or serious, just be you, ya know?" Kanji nodded as if he was taking notes in a class, in fact his focus was creeping Yosuke out a bit, "Anyway, that's the main thing, Kanji, just don't try too hard, this is Naoto we are talking about, for all we know this is her first date too." Kanji nodded again,

"Do ya really think this is her first date?" Yosuke nodded, "Think about it, you idiot, how could she date anyone, when everyone thought she was a dude?" Kanji realized his question was stupid and hung his head, trying to think of a change in subject, and then it came to him, "Hey, do you think I should, um, give her a gift tomorrow?" Yosuke went wide eyed, "Kanji, that's new from you, actually that was the smartest suggestion that you've ever made." Kanji twitched, not sure how to take the comment, "You calling my other suggestions stupid?"

He stood up and rolled up his sleeves blushing slightly, Yosuke put his hands up, "Calm down man, jeez, that was meant to be a compliment " Kanji sat down and sighed, "Sorry, I guess I'm really nervous for tomorrow" Yosuke nodded, "I understand, but have a little confidence, you can do this" Kanji nodded, "Yeah, you're right, I'll blow her away tomorrow night, what am I so worried for?" he got up and saluted at Yosuke before leaving him with the table, and the bill. "Wait, dammit, Kanji" he said holding the check.

It was Saturday, the day of reckoning for Kanji Tatsumi, he spent the whole day picking out clothes to wear and of course deciding how to give Naoto her present. He decided to only give her the scarf because he didn't want to overwhelm her. "Ok, I think everything is ready" he went to his room and took a nice black sweater out of his closet, and put on some nice jeans and a solid belt with a gold buckle, he looked in the mirror and did his signature fist in the air while holding his arm move. Naoto was pacing back and forth, "Is it too late to back out of this?" she said, she was currently looking at her signature hat,

"Should I still wear the hat or will Kanji-kun be offended by it?" she picked it up, and then back down as she went into the bathroom to brush her hair, it was as silky and flawless as ever, Naoto never knew why her hair was so perfect, she never once used any type of product on it, or kept it well for that matter. She emerged from the bathroom with better looking hair than before, "I think I will skip the hat tonight, not as for the bindings" she paused her thoughts,

"No, no, stop being embarrassed, change is good, I don't need them to be secure in public, besides" she looked down at her chest, "They aren't that big." She decided to wear a light blue shirt, her dark blue jacket and her blue plaid pants like she always did, in fact the only difference between this and her regular outfit was the breasts were slightly noticeable. "This should do nicely, now, I need to get going or I am going to be late."

Yosuke was leaning against a wall on top of the building across the way from Aiya, Chie came up to him, "So, are they there yet?" Yosuke just smiled, "I knew you were diabolical but this is crazy, we really aren't even showing up?" Chie nodded, "Yep! I can't wait to see this" Yosuke nodded and got up and strolled past Chie kissing her on the cheek, "I'm getting a soda, want anything?" Chie turned blushing a little, "Yeah, water bottle please" Yosuke nodded, "Of course."

Kanji was now waiting outside the restaurant checking is watch periodically, "Damn, they are already five minutes late" he sighed and continued to wait, when a figure appeared from the direction of the bus stop, it was Naoto, not wearing a hat! Kanji was shocked that she left her home without it, he was already shaky in the knees,

"Calm down you wuss, this is all you!" he sallowed hard and turned to face her directly, she was now right in front of him, "Ah, you're quick!" he almost yelled, Naoto raised an eyebrow, "Excuse me?" she asked, Kanji covered his mouth and blushed, "Damn, I'm an idiot" he cursed himself inside his mind. "So, uh, Yosuke isn't here yet, so, you wanna get a t-table?" Naoto was captivated on Kanji's nervous expression, "Am I really causing him to act like this?" she thought,

"Uh, yeah, let's go, Kanji-kun" she walked past him, that's when he noticed her chest stuck out more than usual, Kanji shook his thoughts away and went into the restaurant with her. Chie put down her binoculars, "They went in together, I think we did it!" Yosuke gave an unenthusiastic "Hooray" and went back to his phone.

Inside the restaurant, Kanji and Naoto were conversing for a long while; Kanji couldn't believe how much they actually had in common, "So I find it really interesting that both our shadows were essentially about trying to hide ourselves from others." Kanji nodded, "It's crazy when you put it that way" Naoto nodded, "I guess it's something we can work out together" Kanji froze and turned red,

Naoto realized what she said and looked down, "Crap, I don't have my hat on" looked up to see Kanji grabbing the back of his head, "T-t-that sounds good, Naoto" he said nervously. Naoto was taken aback, "R-really?" she sighed in relief, rather glad Kanji said that, "I'll take your word for it then" she was blushing rather heavily, Kanji thought she looked freakin adorable, so he looked away, "So, uh, how is the food?" Naoto helped him change the subject, "It's good, as always" Kanji looked back to see Naoto's blush fading away, "Yeah, they are always great here" Kanji felt the time was right for the present. He reached under his chair and pulled out a box with a red bow on top of it, "Um, I know it's like our first um date, but I made you something" Naoto was frozen, she never received a handmade gift from a boy before, for once, she had no idea what to do with herself.

Kanji snapped his fingers, "Naoto, are you alright?" she shook her head and blushed slightly, "Y-y-yeah, I'm alright" her voice was higher than normal, she was clearly flustered, Kanji put the box on the table and scratched the back of his head, "If you don't want it, it's cool, I'll take it back" Naoto cut him off, "No!" she almost yelled, she thanked God there were only a few old couples in the restaurant, "I-I, want the gift, thank you Kanji-kun" she grabbed the present and started to open it, Kanji had never seen her so nervous before.

She held up the well-made blue scarf and made a sound that she regrets making, "Kanji-kun, it looks great, are you telling me you made this yourself?" Kanji held the back of his neck, "Yeah, it was all me, it's not weird is it?" Naoto shook her head no, "It's amazing, thank you for this Kanji-kun, it was really, er, sweet of you." Kanji blushed extremely dark red, "N-no problem, just ask if you ever want anything else to match." Naoto nodded.

The night continued like that for a while, Kanji kept making small talk, and Naoto was honestly having the time of her life. It wasn't until 8:00 PM that they both left the restaurant, they ended up on the riverbank with their feet in the water, and they sat next to each other. Kanji decided to break the silence, "Naoto, I really had a great time tonight, thank you for agreeing to come along"

Naoto was tossing her feet in and out of the water like a little kid, "I had a great time, Kanji-kun, we should do this again." Kanji turned red at the last part, "Y-yeah, defiantly" Naoto looked up at him wearing the scarf around her neck, "Um, Kanji, do you want to, er, start trying to date?"

Kanji was so shocked that he fell into the shallow water, soaking his nice clothes, "Kanji-kun!" Naoto said getting up, Kanji was sitting in the water gathering his thoughts, "She wants to freakin date! And I pull this stupid shit?" he got up and stepped back onto the dock, Naoto was still standing as he sat back down, "N-n-naoto, to answer your question, I think we should, i-I mean why the hell not" Naoto rolled her eyes at the typical Kanji response, she nodded, "Alright, are you free tomorrow, I want to go on a walk with you" Kanji nodded slowly, still blushing, "Um, yeah, sounds like a plan to me" Naoto checked her watch,

"Well it's gotten late, I should return home now" she saw that Kanji was to shell shocked to stand, so she decided to take a bold move that would shatter her hard boiled character, she leaned down and kissed his cheek, making Kanji even more red, but he didn't say anything. "Good night Kanji-kun" she left his sight and Kanji laid back on the dock, "H-holy crap, I freakin did it, I gotta call Yosuke and senpai about this!"

A/N: Well that went better than expected. So who is curious about the Kubo story that Naoto was "investigating"? More on that later. I really feel like there wasn't too much OOC ness but I could be wrong, so let me know, as always thanks for reading a please take the time to review, they really do help


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